Carré d'Agneau à la Valencienne.—The best end of the neck, nicely trimmed, roast and served with its own gravy and a good Valencienne garnish of artichoke bottoms, lobster, or prawns, rice, minced or shred ham, etc. This joint, which is a particularly nice one for a small family, is equally good if served with any good purée of vegetables and its own gravy; or with mushroom, cucumber, oyster, soubise, tomato, Vénitienne, and many other sauces. In short, broadly speaking, as soon as it is large enough to cut up, lamb may be served by any recipe given for mutton, though, of course, the judicious cook will remember, that lamb being a more delicately flavoured meat than mutton, which has a distinctive flavour of its own not easily disguised by any sauce, care must be taken to choose addenda that will not overpower, if not actually destroy, the natural taste of the younger animal.
As owing to the size of these little books it is impossible for me to repeat information given in previous volumes of the series, I must ask those interested in these recipes to refer to the volume of entrées for the sauces, which are there given in extenso.
It may be added that a boiled leg of lamb, especially when small, is a specially delicate little dish, particularly if served with tomato or soubise sauce, or even with a creamy Pascaline, or caper sauce.